Recommended Camps and Lodges in Namibia
You have to visit this country to appreciate the powerful spell
that it casts. One of my favorite countries in Africa, huge in size,
stretching across west Africa to within kilometres of Victoria Falls,
larger than France and Britain combined, with only a population
of 1.5 million people. A country of stark contrasts straddled between
two deserts, the Namib to its west and the Kalahari on its eastern
border with Botswana.

The Namib Desert

Some of the amazing attractions are
the Skeleton Coast, bizarre in scenery inhabited by desert lions,
tens of thousands of Cape Fur Seals, oryx and jackals trotting
on pure white beaches among shards of shipwreck debris. Desert
elephant that can travel for days without water, roaring dunes
and the exotic Himba tribe. To the north the deserts are bisected
by the fast flow of the Kunene River, home to more Himba, oryx,
springbok and some of the most startling scenery on earth.

In the south are the oldest and largest dunes on our planet, Sossusvlei,
whose haunting colours and shadows are a kaleidoscope of change
throughout the day. Etosha National Park a treasure chest of thousands
of animals surviving in harsh conditions. There are ghost towns
in the south and colorful tribes like the Hereros, San or Bushmen,
Ovambos and Himba, where only the strong have survived the harsh
punishment metered out by an unforgiving but evocative land.

Sossusvlei
Situated on the eastern edge of the dune

Oryx and desert dunes

sea of the Namib desert are dunes which reach 275 metres in height,
they are not only gigantic, but are extremely beautiful. These dunes,
the oldest in the world are tinted by iron oxide and minute fragments
of garnets. Ensure that you enter this startling landscape before
sunrise and then watch the colour and shadow show unfold for the remainder
of the day.

Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp
- Sossusvlei
There are now a number of excellent camps in and around the dunes
of Sossusvlei but none as well sited and remote as this camp. The
camp has been built near the top of a rocky mountain with a view that
I find impossible to describe. The nine guest rooms are built out
of brick, rock, timber and thatch, each with its own private plunge
pool. The well appointed bathrooms offer wonderful views of the desert
plain below.

Wilderness Lodge Vista

Room and plunge pool

Activities centre on very early morning drives in well designed land
rovers, timed to get to sun rise on the red ochre dunes, an incredible
sight of pastel colours and black shadows, just this is guaranteed
to chew up at least one roll of film. A sandy climb up ‘Big
Daddy’ the world’s highest sand dune is well worth the
effort. Insert: Sumited ‘Big Daddy’ Afternoon and evening
activities take place on the private reserve of 21,000 hectares exploring
the desert landscape and looking for springbok, oryx, ostrich, bat
eared fox, aardwolf and hyena. Balloon Safaris over the Namib Desert
is a must, however this needs to be booked in advance to ensure a
place.

Little
Kulala Camp – Sossusvlei
Is another favourite of mine in the area. Set on the edge of a dry
river bed with magnificent dune scenery are eight thatched suites
on decks that are slightly elevated above the desert sands. Each unit
has its own private plunge pool and an internal staircase leading
to the flat rooftop above the bathroom where your beds can be placed
to enjoy the brilliance of the clear night skies that Namibia is renowned
for.

Little Kulala Room

Ballooning over the Namib

Activates are varied and numerous and include early morning guided
game drives to the dunes, nature drives and walks on the private 21,000
hectare reserve and early morning ballooning.

Etosha National Park

Calcrete Waterhole

Etosha is Namibia’s premier wildlife park. It has great concentrations
of animals especially in the dry winter months. This grand park conserves
over 22,000 square kilometers of savannah country including the pan,
its ghostly white lake dazzling with heat waves and mirages for most
of the year. It is a huge warehouse of animals, with healthy numbers
of elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, oryx, zebra, springbok, wildebeest,
kudu and hartebeest. All set among a moonscape of calcrete stones.

Little
Ongava Lodge – Etosha National Park
Etosha’s only drawback is that the accommodation offered within
the Park is in large and impersonal rest camps. Ongava Lodge offers
an excellent alternative and is situated on the private 66,000 hectare
Ongava Game Reserve which shares a common border with Etosha. This
small and personalised lodge offers the full Etosha experience while
providing superb accommodation and service, as well as night drives
and walks on the reserve. Mornings are usually spent animal watching
within Etosha and afternoons at Ongava. Tracking rhino on foot is
a highlight. This intimate little camp is built along a crest of a
hill with wonderful views onto the plain below.

What a Room

Space is not an issue

Accommodation consists of three spacious suites, each with their own
plunge pool, en-suite bathroom, a bath and outdoor shower they have
a magnificent view down to an active waterhole.

The Skeleton Coast

Seals on the Skeleton Coast

This wild, desolate and hauntingly beautiful Park earned its name
from the numerous ships that ran aground on this desolate fog bound
coast over the centuries. It has everything…soaring dunes that
roar, vast pastel coloured plains, towering canyons and sculptured
mountains, salt pans, sand waterfalls, enormous seal colonies and
shipwrecks. Freshwater springs break through the barren sands to create
rare oases in the desert that sustain pockets of wildlife like desert
lion and elephant. What a sight to see a herd of oryx, standing on
the beach with huge breakers crashing behind them.

Skeleton
Coast Camp
One of the top five destinations in my life. On my first visit to
this camp nearly two decades ago, I wondered to myself what we would
do for 5 days in the desert. Little did I know what was waiting for
us and how much there was to see. This little six roomed camp is one
of the most isolated you could find on the planet, wedged around a
dry river bed, the twelve guests that spend time here share an area
of over 600,000 acres with each other and no one else. The luxury
tented rooms all have en-suite bathrooms. Rival only to Chikwenya
Camp for one of the best open air dinning rooms tucked in beneath
an ancient leadwood tree.

Inside the tent

Himba woman

There is also a wonderful Himba family living just outside the concession
area. It is an amazing experience to see how this colourful race has
clung to their traditions and dress unlike so many of the other tribes
in Southern Africa. However even if the weren’t a single mammal
in this region it would still be a big draw card for visitors due
to its stunning dune, mountain and canyon scenery. There is so much
to see in this concession that the safari vehicles normally leave
after an early breakfast carrying a packed lunch and ample drinks
often returning at dusk.

Serra
Cafema Camp
Situated in the north of the Skeleton Coast, inland from the sea on
the banks of the Kunene River, a bizarre sight, a fast flowing river
bisecting a desert. I can never make my mind up which camp I prefer
between this and the Skeleton Coast Camp. Only six tents accommodate
guests with a spirit of adventure and love for true wild places. Each
tent is raised of the ground on a wooden platform, all with en-suite
facilities. Most overlook a window of the Kunene River, with a magnificent
backdrop of the Angolan mountains reaching up from the northern bank
of the river.

Himba woman at Serra Cafema

Serra Cafema

Quad biking

The area is shared with a small group of Himba who add to the fascination
of this region. The highlight of this camp is touring around on quad
bikes, free and master of your destiny as you follow your desert guide
from the lush oasis of the river into the rugged mountains and dune
fields. Oryx, springbok and ostrich are often seen. For those that
choose not to ride the quad bikes the area can be explored from open
land rovers. A cruise up the river makes a welcome change from the
desert sands.